High-intensity sweeteners can provide the sweetness of sugar, with various taste qualities. Because they are many times sweeter than sugar, however, much less of the sweetener is required to replace the sugar. High-intensity sweeteners have a wide range of chemically distinct structures and hence possess varying properties.
In order for a high-intensity sweetener to be conveniently used for dry blending and tableting, several criteria should be met. These include good flow properties, little dust formation during processing, absence of static electric problems, and good mechanical strength.
Sucralose (1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-β-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranoside) is a high-intensity sweetener made by the selective chlorination of sucrose. Sucralose is a white, crystalline, nonhygroscopic powder in its pure form. It is highly soluble in water, ethanol, and methanol and has a negligible effect on the pH of solutions. Sucralose is frequently sold in the form of needle-like crystals resulting from the final purification of the product after synthesis, or in the form of “micronized” product produced by milling the crystalline form.
Commercially available sucralose in either of these forms, by virtue of being a particulate solid, may be subject to some of the inconveniences commonly encountered in handling any particulate material, including flow and dusting issues. Thus, advances in these areas would be of value in commercial applications.